Episode 2 The Chef's Protege

Getting to the top of any profession takes not only skill

and determination, but a few breaks along the way.

Show me what a good cook you are.

Tom Kitchin, Theo Randall, and Michel Roux Jr

have all been helped in their careers

by someone who believed in them.

I think it would be very difficult for any chef to achieve

greatness without a mentor.

Put it through one more time.

Now they want to give someone else that same chance...

Out, out, out.

..by going back to catering college to find a young student

they can each take under their wing as their own protege.

It's such a gruelling industry.

If you want to get to the top, you need to work with the best.

Look at you, you're excited.

Eh? You're excited. Hallelujah.

Tom, Theo and Michel are searching for someone who

-they think is a worthy apprentice.

-Happy, chef?

-Think so.

They each have a week to select

and train up their strongest candidates...

Two things on the go at the same time.

Come on, come on, come on, come on.

Or even three things on the go, multitask, come on.

..before they compete against each other

to see who has the best protege.

This week it's Tom Kitchin's search.

Yesterday he returned to his old catering college in Perth

to meet some of their strongest students and recent graduates.

Bad idea, I think.

He chose 18-year-old Jordan, 17-year-old Jamie

and 20-year-old Ian to take forward.

You know what I think?

I think it's brilliant. You should be really, really proud of yourself.

Today, he is back to meet the final three students that

Perth College believe have the potential to be his protege.

What I'm looking for? First and foremost, the glint in the eye.

The desire.

Listening to what you're being taught and wanting to succeed.

These are vital ingredients for me.

To get a sense of the students' enthusiasm and skill level,

Tom has brought in the ingredients from his langoustine tail

girolle mushroom and spinach starter.

These guys are going to be nervous, excited,

they're going to be out of their depth.

I am going to have to teach these guys,

I'm going to have to mentor them, I'm going to have to take them

to places they have never been before.

The first student is 18-year-old Shaun who has recently

completed a year at the college.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-How are you doing?

-I'm Shaun.

-Shaun, nice to meet you. How you doing?

-Very well.

-Come in, come in.

So, how long have you been cooking?

I kind of did a little bit with my mum, she's a caterer.

-But really working in restaurants since I was 14.

-So did I.

I started washing the pots and pans in the pub to earn pocket money.

-That's where I started.

-It's good fun.

-Good.

-So, you looking forward to today?

-Yeah.

-Excited?

-Yeah.

-Nervous?

-Yes.

It's all right.

So, what we're going to do today is a dish with langoustine.

We got the langoustine tail, we remove the tail, OK?

Off. And then with two thumbs there, separate the head.

'You always need a mentor for anything you do,'

you learn something that they have perfected over the years so

you get their skills and you can pick up

your own skills as time goes on.

Just ripped a wee bit there.

You're a big boy, you got big thumbs.

Sometimes the shells are a bit soft.

OK, let's start to think about what we could do as a dish here.

We've got different ingredients,

is there anything we could bring together there?

Probably something with spinach and mushrooms.

Probably a white wine sauce with parsley.

Good, so let's get the mushrooms fried off, OK?

Chef, chef, chef, what are we doing?

-Are we going to put the mushrooms in a dry pan?

-No.

We need something in there, chef. No?

A little bit of oil to start with, OK? You know that though, don't you?

That was nerves.

'I think what is really important for me

'to remember is these guys are at college.

'I was here 16 years ago.

'Would I have been able to do what these kids are doing?'

Not sure.

Chef, chef, chef. What's happened? What's happened?

Left it too long and it's burnt.

Why are you not taking it off the heat? Come on. Big man.

Start again, start again.

That's, that's just not going to work, is it?

OK, mushrooms are in. Come on, Shauny.

How about a wee knob of butter in there, just to really make

the mushrooms sing, bringing out the flavour of the mushroom. OK?

-It's OK, stay calm.

-Nerves are getting to me.

That's all right, we all get nervous.

OK? It's over.

Tell me, what do you think. How did it go?

I could have done a lot better.

What you've done today is a gallant effort.

Mushrooms, langoustines, we got there in the end. It was a bit...

A bit of an effort, had to push you over the line a wee bit,

but this afternoon I want to see the real Shaun.

-Well done, big man.

-Thank you.

Dreadful, I let myself down just how poorly it kind of went.

Just the nerves got to me

and it made me not focus the way I normally am.

The first impression with Shaun was really exciting. In a way it was me.

I was 13 years old washing the pots and pans earning pocket money.

That's how I fell in love with this industry,

so at the beginning it was like, maybe I've got something here.

Then we came round, we did the langoustine, he was petrified.

Absolutely petrified.

But I feel somewhere, somehow, I'm going

to get something out of this boy.

At 21 Calum is the oldest student in the group.

Hi. What's your name?

-Calum.

-Calum, nice to meet you. How are you doing?

-All right.

-Where are you from?

-Blairgowrie.

-Blairgowrie? Excellent.

Have you been in the industry long?

-I've only been cooking for about two years here at college.

-Two years.

-Before that I was a welder.

-You were a welder? Really?

-So, you had a career change?

-Yeah.

Brilliant, let's do some cooking today.

We're going to do a langoustine dish.

-Have you worked with langoustines before?

-Never.

You're really going to enjoy it.

OK, twist it. That's it.

'I used to be a welder when I left school.'

I got made redundant and I was unemployed for a long time

and I didn't know what to do.

I did a six week course at the college called Get Into Catering.

I gave that a go and ever since I've been coming back.

It's very tricky, isn't it?

You got it.

OK, Calum, it would be nice now if we could bring a dish together.

-I'd like to try the mushrooms.

-You'd like to try the mushrooms?

-Yes.

These are girolle mushrooms.

All we do is, we take the mushroom, we scrape the stem like this, OK?

And pop it to the side.

'There is an enormous gulf in where I am today and what I'm expecting,

'but we're going to take them on this journey and if they want to

'go on it, they'll learn more than they could ever dream of.'

You're free spirit now, Calum. Where's the monster in you, boy?

Let's see what Calum can cook.

What about a little bit of oil, or butter in there?

Because your pan is very dry.

'I never cooked in my life before I came to college

'and the best thing I could do was a cheese sandwich.'

Every day for my dinner I had cheese sandwiches for over a year.

But now I've came here,

I've learnt how to cook a lot of things for myself.

I cook for my mum as well.

You lift up the pan when you need to, but we're not in the pancake place.

Just let the ingredients cook.

Put the pan down.

OK, we really need to plate on now, Calum.

OK, so how do you think it went?

-Could have done better, it's the first time doing it.

-Exactly.

I mean, why did you choose this dish, out of interest?

Just because of the amount I seen there,

if it was something spread out.

Well, I think today has been a real learning curve,

a real learning experience for you.

I think you've never, ever seen anything like this before

which is understandable.

You're a young lad and you've just started this industry, OK?

-I hope you've taken something from it.

-Yeah.

Thanks very much for your hard work. Cheers.

Nerve-wracking.

Calum is right at the beginning of his career.

He was a welder, massive respect.

Just because I haven't been blown away by him in this particular

first impression, it doesn't mean he's not going to go on.

A massive confidence boost,

especially cooking with someone like Tom.

I've seen far better chefs than me, but the fact I've had this opportunity,

and I've taken it, I think it's fantastic.

Especially as Tom recognises that I'm a young chef, I'm just learning.

20-year-old Harriet recently left the college

and now works full-time as a hotel pastry chef.

-Hi.

-Hello, chef.

-Nice to meet you.

-Very nice to meet you too. What's your name?

-Harriet.

-Harriet, how are you doing?

-Very well, thank you.

-Nervous?

-A little bit.

-What we're going to do today is we're going to do a dish with langoustines.

-OK.

-Have you used langoustines before?

-I've never cook them before,

-but they taste good.

-They taste good.

-You enjoy eating them?

-Yes.

-Excellent.

So when you eat something like langoustines,

how does that make you feel?

-It reminds me of being on holiday in Ullapool.

-Ullapool?

Yes, that's where all the langoustines come from.

So you connect that... Good. That sounds like a dream.

'I don't think it's hard for girls in kitchens,'

but it's definitely male-orientated.

There's a lot of males in the kitchen,

you just have to fight your corner and stand out.

Have you done this before?

I've done this once in a restaurant

and I hit my boyfriend in the face with the juice.

So, it wasn't so good.

-Is he still your boyfriend?

-Yes.

-That's OK then.

OK, do we have any ideas looking at the ingredients there

of something that would go well with the langoustines?

-Garlic, white wine and cream sauce maybe?

-OK, good.

-Do you know what it's crying out for?

-Some mushrooms?

Mushrooms, that would be brilliant.

If you can bring off a mushroom-y, garlicky, creamy kind of sauce

-with roasted langoustines on top, I'll be a happy man.

-OK.

'I'd love to be a Michelin-starred chef because the skill level

'is so high and I want my skills to be as high as that.'

I'm ambitious.

Good, good.

-Why did you add the chicken jus?

-To bring the sauce.

Excellent.

One second, stop. Taste.

-There you go.

-Happy?

-Yes.

-I am so happy.

I've been waiting for this.

Got the langoustine, mushrooms, garlic, a little bit of guidance.

This is the beginning of something really, really good for you.

-No matter what happens, cooking is your career, brilliant.

-Thank you.

Thank you. Well done.

The big thing about Harriet, she had that spark.

When I first met her, looked me in the eyes, shook my hand,

"Chef, nice to meet you."

I felt a connection with Harriet there.

She had the idea, it was nearly there. And she nailed it.

I don't know how to explain it, it's amazing.

I just came to college for a year to study to be a little chef,

and work wherever.

Then here I am a year later cooking for a Michelin-starred chef

which I never thought I would do.

Having a mentor means more than just being taught basic cookery skills.

Whoever Tom chooses as his protege will have the opportunity

to learn about the secrets behind his food.

Two rock pool, two tomato. Yes?

Inspired by his years with his first mentor, the legendary chef

Pierre Koffman, Tom's style is based on maximising flavour

by taking the freshest seasonal ingredients,

cooking them in the moment and using their cooking liquor as a base for sauces.

At the end of the day, Tom can only take two students through.

Before he makes a decision, he wants Harriet, Calum

and Shaun to recreate his starter of fresh asparagus

and poached egg with a sauce made from the asparagus cooking liquor,

a method central to his cooking style.

The philosophy that I really embrace and follow with strict,

strict rules is the cooking a la minute, of the moment.

So when the customer comes in, the asparagus is fresh.

We cook the asparagus from fresh to cooked and then we serve it.

Once you've tasted it fresh,

you'll remember that for the rest of your life, OK?

Into my pan, olive oil.

In with the asparagus. Yeah?

A little touch of salt. Very important.

As soon as we put the chicken stock, lid on.

The idea, we add a little bit of chicken stock, we reduce.

What happens then when we do that?

-The flavour gets more intense.

-Exactly, chef.

There we can see the chicken stock is reducing.

We had a little touch more chicken stock.

As the asparagus is cooking, the flavour of the asparagus

is coming out and it's going into the sauce.

OK, poached eggs. White wine vinegar.

'The thing that I want the students to take away from this dish

'is everything coming together at the same time and being able to juggle.'

This is where the natural skill of the chef comes through.

Remove the asparagus. A little knob of butter.

A dash of sherry vinegar.

And a little dash of balsamic vinegar.

Taste the cooking liquor there now.

-That's really good.

-TOM LAUGHS

Our beautifully poached egg.

Our lovely raw asparagus as well.

-OK, what do you think?

-It looks amazing.

-It's very simple though, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Sometimes the most simple things are the most challenging.

OK, let's taste.

-Look at that.

-Perfect.

-That is so good.

-I've never actually had anything like this at all.

-Good.

OK, get yourselves organised and then we'll get ready to cook, OK?

'It's really quite simple, but it's quite complex

'because everything has to be perfect in the dish.'

Hopefully we'll see if I can cook it right.

'I really do want to get it bang on right

'because the first round was disappointing.'

I really want to show I can cook and get it perfectly.

Shaun, was the pan hot when you put it in?

-Not as hot as it should have been.

-Not as hot as it should have been.

Start again. OK? You knew the answer before I even asked.

Calum, chicken stock, lid.

OK?

'This morning I could have probably done a bit better, but that

'was just cos it was new, I didn't know what I was expecting.'

But now I just want to go for it and show what I can really do.

What Tom needs them to understand

is that the asparagus liquor is central to the sauce.

Any mistake in its cooking could ruin his dish.

I don't want the pans becoming dry.

I don't want any burnt flavour in there.

Chef, see that, it's brown.

It's black, chef. It's black. Change the pan.

Take the asparagus out, start again, OK?

We can't have that black flavour, OK?

That, wash.

'I'm here to teach, I'm looking to become a mentor to these students,

'and they won't get it first time.

'But will they pick it up the second time? The third time?'

And will the speed start to come and that excitement?

That's what I'll be looking for.

-Harriet, the eggs are on?

-I'm about to...

Eggs poaching, OK?

OK, in with the eggs. OK?

If they have listened to Tom,

the students will know these final minutes are crucial.

They must poach the eggs

and finish the sauce while the asparagus is still warm.

-Shaun, how are we doing?

-All right, the eggs are on.

Balsamic, OK.

And a touch of the sherry vinegar as well, yeah?

Calum, a little balsamic.

I think that will be enough vinegar. Too much vinegar, Calum.

Too much vinegar.

Whoo!

If you're ready to dress, start to dress now.

-Chef, what's happened there?

-Reduced down to much.

Because you left it on the heat. You need to bring that back.

-How are you going to bring that back?

-A bit of jus.

Use your spoon, work it. Emulsify it again.

Egg, it must be cooked. It's not possible it's not cooked.

It's overdone now.

It's cooked, it's cooked. It's cooked.

-Come on, Calum, we need to go now.

-Yes.

Relax. OK?

Harriet.

Let's taste, on you go.

-Slightly overcooked the egg.

-Slightly overcooked.

I think the asparagus is cooked well. I don't think we have enough sauce.

But I think you can be proud of yourself for what you tried there.

Looking at your two dishes that you've cooked today,

very strong, but you need to listen to me.

It's the finer details.

There's no point just being good,

you need to be exceptionally good, OK?

I'm so young, I've not been cooking for that long professionally.

So, to be his protege would be fantastic and give me

loads of confidence to go further as well.

Shaun.

-This morning was tough.

-Yes, I let myself down.

You were there, you had the glint in your eye,

then you kind of froze, big man.

-Yes.

-The way you embraced this part was a lot better.

The egg is good, the asparagus is cooked to perfection

and the sauce is excellent.

You just got the right amount of vinegar in there just to

release the flavour of the asparagus.

-Wow. That is a really good piece of cooking.

-Yes.

-You're smiling.

-I knew, I knew you could do it.

-Yes.

-Well done. Thank you.

'At the moment I'm 50-50,'

I was a bit disappointed with my first round, it put me down a bit.

I think with that one it's helped me a little,

but it's only his decision if he puts me through or not.

Calum, cut that egg. Oh! Look at that.

-What do you think?

-Needs more seasoning.

-Good.

The asparagus needs longer.

There's a lot of mistakes there, a lot of mistakes.

You know what the most rewarding thing is?

You spotted there was no salt, the asparagus is not cooked.

The good bit of news is you have the poached egg of the day.

If it was a competition to see who won the poached egg,

you would have won, big man. OK, thank you.

'Not so good, nerves got to me a wee bit.'

Every time I was cooking, I kept thinking what I was going to

do next rather than focus on what I was doing at that moment.

I made quite a lot of mistakes.

OK, guys. That's the end of the tasks for today.

I hope you've enjoyed it, I think

it's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster.

You've all done exceptionally well,

you should be really proud of yourselves.

Go get some fresh air. Thank you.

Today is a real mixture of emotions

because Harriet was just phenomenally good.

Shaun froze in the first test this morning, but he's been brought

up in the industry, he had to have it in him somewhere.

I think this afternoon we found that. Calum, he really tried.

This was so out of his comfort zone, but he put himself forward,

he wants to do something with his life,

and for that I have an awful lot of respect.

Ultimately Tom is only looking for one protege.

He must now let the students know who is still in the running

and who is going home.

-Sorry, Calum.

-Good luck.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Calum, you all right?

-Yeah.

-Good?

-Yeah.

-Take it in good heart?

-Yeah.

-You enjoyed your day?

-Yeah.

-Listen, I'm really proud of you.

-Promise me you'll keep going.

-Yes, I will.

Work to the best of your ability, remember today for the right reasons

-and use today to get you forward.

-Thank you.

Thanks very much, chef. See you soon.

'I kind of knew after the last challenge that

'I hadn't done that great.'

I kind of had the feeling, I'm happy that I gave it a go.

I hope the best for Harriet and Shaun.

-Come on. Well done.

-Well done.

Now you're just going to beat me in the next round, aren't you?

I'll try.

We're looking for the creme de la creme.

We're looking for the top, top guys here. Top students.

So far I think I've found a couple of jewels in the crown.

And I'm excited.

Tomorrow night, Tom's search for his protege continues

when he brings his top five students together for the first time.

Now I want to see what happens when I put that pressure on them.

Don't stand there yawning, young man, get in there and help him. Come on.

He's pushing everybody. It is a pressure situation.

-Do it exactly the same way as I did.

-OK.

-OK?

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